Vestibule diaphragm



.Dec. 27, 1932.

E. E. WHITMORE 1,891,964

VESTIBULE DIAPHRAGM Filed Dec. 8, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 27, 1932. w n- 1,891,964

VES TIBULE DIAPHRAGM Filed Dec. 8, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD E. WHI'IMORE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGrNOR-v TO THE AIDLAKE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS VESTIBULE DIAPHRAGM Application filed December S, 1930.

This invention has to do with railway car vestibule diaphragms of the so-called accor dion type.

Heretofore, considerable difficulty has been experienced in satisfactorily fitting accordion type diaphragms to cars. One reason for this is that there never has been any one fixed standard for the heights of the passage ways in the vestibule frames between cars, with the result that a diaphragm which will fit one car may not fit another, necessitating the production of several sizes with conse quent high manufacturing costs. Another and even more important reason is that aside from the matter of variation in size objectionable gaps have purposely been left between the lower ends of the vertical side legs of the diaphragm and the floor plates, due to the necessitv of maintaining a substantial amount of clearance between the legs and the plates. The body portions of accordion type diaphragms are made of a heavy stifi' fabric material, usually multiple-ply cotton belting, and, if the lower horizontally bowed edges of the legs were allowed to abut against and be buffeted by the constantly shifting and rising floor plates, the legs would buckle in various places and rapidly disintegrate.

The object of the present invention is to provide a much needed improvement in rail- Way car vestibule diaphragms of the accordion type, which improvement makes a diaphragm extremely easy to fit, permits the same size diaphragm to be fitted perfectly to passageways of different heights with con sequent standardization in manufacture, and allows the lower edges of the diaphragm to practically form seals with the floor plates without resulting in injury to the diaphragm.

While the foregoing statement is indica tive in a general way of the nature of the invention, other more specific objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full understanding of the construction, arrangement and operation of the improvement constituting the invention.

One form of the invention is presented herein by Way of exemplification, but it will of course be understood that the invention is Serial No. 500,7?3.

F ig, 1 is a partially broken away vertical longitudinal section through the vestibule passageway between two connected railway cars, showing, for ready comparison, an ordinary diaphragm applied to the left hand car and a diaphragm equipped with the int provement of the invention applied to the right hand car;

n Fig. 2 is a full length perspective View of the improved diaphragm, showing the same removed from the car;

Fig. 3 is a partially broken awayperspective view of the improved diaphragm, showing the top section thereof removed;

Fig. at is a tion alone;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through one of the legs of the improved diaphragm, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the lower edge of one of the legs of the diaphragm, taken on the line 66 of Fig. l.

- It will be observed in Fig. 1 that the diaphragm 10 which is attached to the left hand car 11 terminates some distance above the floor plates 12 in a finished edge 13, leaving a gap 14 ofconsiderable size at each side of the passageway. In the ordinary diaphragm, which is typified by the diaphragm 10, the

perspective viewof the top secgap referred to is necessary because of the relative up and down movement which is constantly occurring between the overlapping floor plates 12 and the arched frame members 15, 16 and 17 which support the diaphragm. The body of the diaphragm, which is made of heavy fabric, is readily yieldable to flexure in the direction of the passageway, but is quite resistant to flexure in the direction of its height, because of the bowed condition of the side legs, thereby permitting of very little, if any, fiexure in that direction, with the result that, if not enough clearance is left between the lower ends of the legs and the floor plates, buckling and rapid disintegration-is bound to occur. The gap 14, which is usually about three-quarters of an inch in height, is extremely objectionable, not only because it permits the entry of strong air currents, dust, cinders, rain and snow, and the escape of heat in cold weather, but also because it permits unrestricted transmission into the interior of the car of the metallic clanking noises from the bolsters, trucks and rails.

As distinguished from this, the diaphragm 18 on the right hand car 19 is characterized by the absence of any appreciable gap between the lower edges of the legs 20 and the floor plates 21. The omission of the gap is made possible by the novel construction hereinafter described, which improvement constitutes the subject matter of the present invention. I

The heavy fabric webs which form the legs 20 of the diaphragm are made even a little shorter than the legs of an ordinary diaphragm but are provided with-feet 22 which extend downwardly considerably farther than the legs of an ordinary diaphragm, the overall lengths of the legs of the improved diaphragm at the time of application being such that, if the floor plates were not present, the legs would actually extend downwardly some distance beneath the top surfaces of the plates.

The feet 22 consist of horizontally extending strips of soft flexible sheet material, preferably somewhere from three to six or eight inches in height, which are sewed or otherwise securely attached to the lower edges of the fabric bodies of the legs in slightly lapped relation to the latter.

The strips which form the feet 22 must be made of a material which is highly resistant to the kind of wear to which the feet are subjected in service. The material furthermore must be considerably softer and more flexible than the material forming the body of the diaphragm, in order to absorb by distortion the forces applied thereto without transmitting the same upwardly into the leg portions proper. Moreover, the material must be of such character that, when cut. a raw or unfinished edge will be left which will not fray out, unravel or break up to any appreciable degree when in frictional rubbing contact with the metal of the moving floor plates. While any one of several soft flexible materials answering this description would probably be suitable for the purpose, chrome leather is presented as an example.

In the particular structural fornr which is herein shown by way of exemplification, but to which the invention, however, is by no means restricted, two thicknesses 23 of approximately one-sixteenth inch chrome leather are fastened together back to back by several vertically spaced horizontally extending lines 24 of stitching. The upper edges of the two thicknesses 23 are lapped with the lower edge of the stifl fabric body of the leg and sewed securely to the same.

At the time that the diaphragm is applied to a car, the excess lower edge portions of the feet 22 are trimmed off by the workmen substantially even with the floor plates 21, resultingin a snug joint between the sides of the diaphragm and'the floor plates. In service, the feet 22, being of considerably softer and more flexible material than the bodies of the legs 20, will absorb practically all of the distortion that would otherwise be transmitted to the legs by the relative up and down movements constantly occurring between the metallic frame members surrounding the diaphragm. It is a comparatively simple'and inexpensive matter to replace the feet22 if and when necessary due to wear.

The diaphragm 18 is shown as being of double fold construction, but it will ofcourse be understood that the invention is equally applicable to a diaphragm of single'or even triple fold construction. The diaphragm 18 is also shown as being of sectional construction, in that the top 25, although attached to the same frame members as the legs, is made separate from the legs to prevent binding and wear in the upper corners, but such sectional feature of course has no bearing on the pres-- ent invention.

I claim: Y p

1. In a railway car vestibule diaphragm of the accordion type, vertically extending legs made of heavy fabric,'and feet of chrome leather attached to the lower ends of the legs as downward continuations of the latter, said feet being initially oversize to permit the same to be trimmed ofl in an unfinished edge even with the floor plates of the vestibule at the time of application, and being more flexible than the legs, whereby to absorb by deformation the stresses received from the floor plates. 1

2. In a railway car vestibule diaphragm of the accordion type, vertically, extending legs made of heavy fabric, and feet of softer and more flexible sheet material attached to the lower ends of the legs as downward continuations of the latter, said feet being composed of two. sheets which are connected together back to back beneath the legs by sev: eral vertically spaced horizontally extending lines of stitching, whereby the feet may be made oversizeand may be trimmed off between the lines of stitching.

3. In a railway car vestibule diaphragm of the accordion type, vertically extending legs made of heavy fabric, and feet of softer and more flexible sheet'material attached to the lower ends of the legs as downward continuations of the latter, said feet being composed of two sheets of softflexible leather which are secured against opposite faces of the legs and are connected together back to back beneath the legs by several verticallyspaced EDWVARD E. VVHITMORE. 

